Charlotte and Griffith's love affair.

[Nairohe]

Does Griffith actually 'love' or 'adore' Charlotte or his shows of affections just another one of his plots to gain his kingdom? After all, she is the king's daughter. Marrying the princess means becoming king too right?

[Rulakir]

I see more 'adore' than 'true love' in their relationship. They are together, nothing intimate really happens. The fact that she is a princess is one step towards achieving his goal. Later on, Griffith rapes her. If it really was love, I wouldn't think Griffith would have raped her.

[Morbius]

I don't know if I would call what Griffith did "rape"... I know that she said no but it seemed pretty consensual once they got started... She could have easily cried out or put up some sort of struggle if she didn't want it... I would say that Griffith took advantage of her and definitely pushed her into it but it's hard to say if you could call it rape...

As for their relationship, I don't think Griffith cares about her at all... She is just another prize for him that he needs to win to become king... He stares at her with a longing but there is no love in his eyes... He seems so insincere when he talks to her...

[schauni]

I don't think Griffith ever loved Charlotte. He did talk to her about things that he never discussed to anyone in Hawks just because he was a snob and he probably thought that Charlotte was on his level, not like Gatts and Caska who were just his subordinates. If he didn't think that way he would have gone for Caska. Charlotte was the key to the throne and from a background that deserved his attention. In short, it was a calculated relationship.

schauni

[Kayay]

While he may have"liked" her in a purely physical sense, he didn't love her IMO. She was a the fastest way to get what he wanted. Charlotte, however, ended up loving (or at least caring for) him as shown by the way she help him escape later.
As for the "rape", I agree with Morbius that while he pressured her into it, it wasn't rape.